I cannot think of a facet of architecture and the building industry that does not interest me and spark a thirst for knowledge of forces that affect what we do. Fundamentally, I see the building industry team, as a whole, that includes some of the best problem solvers in history. Such a broad claim and long duration is mostly because the need for shelter (a type of building) has obsessed humans for as long as we know or have discovered. Even codes that shape how we do what we do, have been around since King Hammurabi, that’s nearly 4,500 years of code enforcement!

Recently, technology has accelerated the pace of project delivery and the complexity of solutions, such that a team of specialists is often required to meet client goals. Not everyone on that team can fully appreciate the skill-set of other team members: they just know others have to do their part. Frequently this leads to gaps in communication, where ideas and answers fall through the cracks, and that usually breeds discontent. My focus has been to help the team look beyond their individual comfort zone, envelop, silo or specialty and grasp the big picture.

I love that we have so many methods now to improve communication amongst the team. I fully adhere to sharing what I know (open-platform) so that it might help others in a process that is unique, partially repeatable, and improves how we initiate a (usually) unique archetype solution from initial desire to completion. During this process, I believe it is imperative to motivate the team to strive successfully to accommodate the user, visitor, occupant and even passer-by with the best, safest, most efficient solution we know and can envision how to produce.